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On Saturday, August 12, more than 1200 people filled the main hall at a Chicago local of the International Union of Operating Engineers, for a farewell rally for longtime Palestine rights activist Rasmea Odeh.

Odeh, a longtime Chicago community leader who was tortured and sexually assaulted by the Israeli military in 1969, was charged in 2013 for a purported immigration violation. Odeh had fought the violation, but with the prospects of a fair trial unlikely during a Trump administration, Odeh accepted a plea deal requiring the renouncement of her U.S. citizenship and leaving the United States.

Before her departure, Chicago activists organized an Honor Rasmea event. The standing-room-only event featured presentations from Angela Davis, the musical group Rebel Diaz, and from Rasmea Odeh herself. See photos here.

On Thursday, August 17th, 2017, Odeh reported to a Detroit court with more than 150 supporters to attend a sentencing hearing. Odeh's planned to read a statement to the court, but she was interrupted three times by the presiding judge who disallowed Odeh's statement. Read Odeh's intended final statement.